Busted 4 times in less than 12 hrs.. and now I’m trying my very best to just do the basic chores/errands today running on very little energy . 🥲

TL;DR Skip the smalltalk; send me something cool instead.
I like meeting new people a whole ton. One of my greatest gifts is my silver tongue. It sounds super cheesy, but I have a real fun time getting men & women, party-goers & teetotalers, monarchists & communists alike to open up and chat with me about whatever they're excited about.
Some make for better conversationalists than others. Old people and kids are great talkers. Foreigners are also very insightful and curious about new surroundings. The coolest people though are the ones that never smothered their childlike wonder as they grew up.
It's the people that spend their time changing their own little world through cooking and writing and painting and proving and making something with their own thoughts and imagination; They are the ones that also see the world as endlessly malleable to their hands.
So send me the fruits of your labor. It can be recipes you've cooked or corny websites you wrote or soundcloud links to your garage band or rebuilt motorcycles or any other creative endeavor you wanna show and tell.
Don't worry about sharing something too small or difficult to explain, but please do share something as an intro though. You get way more color out of someone's creativity over nonsense smalltalk.
That's an awful lot for a stranger to ask though. I wanna share a bit of a "progress report" on some projects and hobbies to equal out the potential friend debt I'm putting on you.

Some things I like:

Math – Most of the math fun I've been having has been through trying to retype my notes into a readable LaTeX guide for others. TBH, being a real math tutor this year showed me just how brutal real math education is to students. I do hope to cheer myself up this summer though and use my awesome new (used) blackboard to finally prove the FTC.
Reading – Some books I'm reading/have read: Siddhartha by Hesse, Kafka on the Shore by Murakami, Mythology by Hamilton, The Passenger by McCarthy, and Antifragile by Taleb. I want to read some real philosophy this summer as I figured out how to get free books on my ereader now. Tabién voy a tratar de leer más español porque todavia sigo medio tarugo leyéndolo.
Linux/Coding – As part of my quest to make my dependencies in life comprehensible to me, I've been daily driving Linux/Vim/dwm/posix compliant shell/anything that can increase my computer knowledge/pretension. Right now, my old ThinkPad is completely disassembled with a Pomona'd pi ready to Libreboot... but I'm too anxious that I'll mess up my bios chip, so it's still just sitting there :/ I'm also teaching myself C to undo matlab & excel "coding" I learned in college.
History – I don't really dig the HOI4-Sabaton axis where history is just cool lore like LOTR or Star Wars. To me, "tangible history," i.e. history that's a lot more personal either as allegory or as direct cause to the present matters so much more. One of my favorite albums, Deceit does this perfectly for it's Cold War politics present. I've read my third Chomsky book and will finally read Manufacturing Consent once I finish How to Hide an Empire. I also got myself a bunch of old Israeli shekels, Soviet rubles, Austrian schillings, etc.

Other things I like:

• Rock N Roll (beatles, king crimson, fleet foxes, simon and garfunkel, elliott smith, brian eno)
  
• Photography (researching FOSS lightroom alternatives)
  
• Expressionist paintings
  
• Deutsch
  
• Making my own idioms
  

My ideal penpal is someone that cares very deeply about ideas as well as people. If my hopes of finding inspiration and kindness from the world resonate with you, send me a PM.
cool bye now B-)

Hi, I'm hoping someone has some advice or is/has gone through the same situation.
I found a little kitten without a mom over a month ago and took her in. I live with my boyfriend who has been just as involved as I have caring for her, he loves her just as much as I do and has been a great cat dad.
The issue is, I've read that you shouldn't play rough or use your fingers to play with cats, so I've been trying to implement this. My boyfriend really likes playing with her with his hands, and even though I constantly remind him not to, he keeps doing it.
Today, he got really upset and took it the wrong way when I told him she doesn't want to be pet right now (he kept trying to pet her head and she kept biting him in response, and he kept letting her bite him and play rough). He took it really personally, and we got into a huge fight over it.
He says I'm making him feel like not even touching her because of this
Should I just let him play with her however he wants and leave it be? I'd appreciate any advice

2022 1040NR / W-7 ITIN Application Guide - Gambling Income Method

The purpose of this post is to provide a simple step-by-step guide for Canadians to apply for and obtain an ITIN so that they can apply for US credit cards and take advantage of US credit card signup bonuses. This guide involves submitting a Form W-7 Application for ITIN and a 1040NR non-resident tax return to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
This is a method that should apply to most Canadians. Please leave all questions as comments, as I often browse through this thread without logging in and generally do not respond to DMs.

Disclaimer

I am not a qualified tax professional, so please use this guide at your own risk. The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be used as official tax advice.

Notice about Paid Services

Paid services are available, but they are not necessary as the forms are simple to complete. I do not endorse any specific service. If you choose to use a paid service, ensure that their PTIN and full name are disclosed on any 1040NR form you file.
The preparation of a tax return for compensation, including the 1040NR non-resident tax return discussed below, requires that the preparer be registered with the IRS, and the preparer must include the PTIN and their personal information (including their name) on the second page of the 1040NR under "Paid Preparer Use Only", irrespective of the method of submission. If you pay for a service that prepares for you an 1040NR (including a "draft" of such a return), and fails to disclose their PTIN on the documents you file, that preparer may be subject to IRC 6695 penalties, injunction and/or disciplinary action.
If you are using a paid service always ensure that their PTIN and full name are disclosed on any 1040NR you file. It protects you too, as they can be penalized by the IRS for unauthorized disclosure or use of your personal information.

Big Picture: How it Works

There are very specific reason where the IRS will issue an ITIN. These include to obtain tax treaty benefits, to file a tax return, and more. Throughout the years, administrative efficiency has taken away the need to issue an ITIN for the purposes of obtaining a tax treaty benefit. So if you have been reading about obtaining an ITIN by saying "I need an ITIN to reduce my withholding tax with Amazon/Smashwords", this no longer works, it is not worth your time to try.
Instead, the ITIN can be obtained by filing a tax return declaring some amount of U.S. income, which I will share with you upfront, although paid ITIN services will skirt around informing you of this directly. The fact that you haven't actually earned anything is irrelevant here (unless you don't want an ITIN lol). The self-declared income can be sourced from US-based online casinos, so you don't even need to set foot in the USA to claim US-source gambling income (as noted by Prince of Travel).
Think of it as "I have $85 USD of gambling/interest income sourced from the USA (e.g. gambling: specifically from blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, or big-6 wheel; interest: interest from a US source), and I'm an upstanding person so I need to report it to the IRS".
This guide will use gambling income, but it only takes minor changes if you want to report interest income instead on your 1040NR instead.

Timeline

The time it takes for you to receive your ITIN letter varies greatly but appears to have settled around 1.5 months in 2023 at the time I updated this post. You may want to read through comments in this thread or the 2022 thread (for 2021 tax forms), to see other people's timelines. Please share your own! I sort the threads by New in order for newer data points to be more visible.

Who it won't work for:

• People eligible for a SSN (are eligible to work in the USA and don't need an ITIN)
• People who already have an ITIN (it will require minor modifications to submit for renewal)
• People who have other sources of US-source income (please get professional tax help)

What you'll need to prepare the forms:

• Download the following forms
• W-7 Form (and the W-7 instructions for reference)
• 1040NR Form
• Supplementary forms and schedules to the 1040NR: !!!!* Schedule 1 !!!!* Schedule OI
• Proof of identity, Canadian passport preferred, see below
• A listing of dates you were physically present in the USA for, for the year you are filing for (currently 2022 tax year) - it's ok if this is zero.
• Number of days in USA for each of the three previous years (2020, 2021, 2022)
• Your Social Insurance Number (Canada)

What you don't need:

• Proof of gambling income - you are self-declaring gambling income, and in practice the amount of income you declare is less than the amount required for a casino to issue you a W-2G (a form that declares your gambling winnings)
• To step foot in the USA during the year you are filing - you are self-declaring gambling income from an online US-based casino

Completing the W-7 (Rev Aug. 2019)

• Screenshots of completed forms (square is optional)
• At the top right of the form, select Apply for a New ITIN
• Under Reason you’re submitting Form W-7., check b
• Complete the Name section, must match your passport
• Complete Mailing Address: Foreign is okay - IRS will return your documents here
• Complete Foreign (non-U.S.) Address: Yes, you need to write it out again even if it's the same as Mailing Address
• Birth Information: Complete. If your birth country is not recognized as one by the USA, you will need to fill in a country recognized by the USA.
• Countries of Citizenship: You need to enter all the countries you have citizenship in 6a
• Foreign Tax I.D. Number: You MUST enter your Canadian Social Insurance Number in 6b
• Type of U.S. Visa: Leave blank. If you have a US Visa (e.g. F-1, TN or H1-B) and are physically working or studying in the USA, do not use this guide. If you have a temporary visa, you can choose to enter it here (see my comments)
• Identification Document Submitted: Check Passport, enter Canada, your Passport Number and the expiry date, leave blank date of entry
• 6e: No
• 6f: leave blank
• 6g: leave blank
• Sign Here: Sign in ink and enter the date and your phone number (Canadian phone number okay)
• Acceptance Agent's Use ONLY: Do not complete

2022 Form 1040NR:

• Screenshot of completed form (square is optional)
• Filing status: Single, Married filing separately or Qualifying Widower (widowed within last two calendar years, and have a dependant)
• Name: Must match W-7
• Identifying number - leave blank
• Complete preferred foreign mailing address
• Virtual currency: This is about cryptocurrency, NFTs and other digital assets and is explained on Pg 15 of the 2022 1040 Instructions, tl;dr just need to put yes/no, don't need to actually report income on return.
• Dependents: You don't have to claim dependents, just leave it blank
• Line 8: Enter that magical number greater than $75 and less than $100 that you're claiming as your gambling income
• Line 9: Same as Line 8
• Line 11: Same as Line 8
• Line 15: Same as Line 8
• Line 16: If your number that you picked above was >=75 and <100, then enter 9 (for 2022), otherwise consult Page 3 of the Tax Table
• Line 18: Enter the same amount as Line 16
• Line 22: Enter the same amount as Line 16
• Line 24: Enter the same amount as Line 16
• Line 26: 0 (Zero)
• Line 32: 0 (Zero)
• Line 33: 0 (Zero)
• Line 37: Same as Line 16
• Line 38: Leave blank - your income is less than $1,000, therefore you should not owe a penalty according to Form 2210.
• Third Party Designee check no, unless you are doing this for P2 and want to
• Sign Here: Sign in ink, date and enter your occupation. Phone and email are optional. Leave PIN blank.
• Paid Preparer Use Only: Leave blank

Schedule 1:

• Screenshot of completed form
• Name at the very top of page
• Part I, Line 8b: Enter the amount from Line 8 of your 1040NR
• Line 9: Same number
• Line 10: Same number
• There is a Page 2, you can include it blank in your application or omit it entirely

Schedule OI:

• Screenshot of completed form
• Name at the very top of page
• A: What country you were a citizen or national during the tax year (legal immigration status)
• B: What country were you a tax resident of during the year: if you live and work in Canada, it is probably Canada only
• C, D, expected to be no
• E: Write "N/A - Not present in U.S. — No U.S. immigration status" into the line, unless you were physically present in the USA on Dec 31
• F: No
• G: List all dates you entered and left the USA in 2022 (this includes layovers), only applicable if you were physically present in the USA, Possible_Quantity_57 suggested checking the I-94 site for your travel records
• H: Number of days that you were present in each of 2020, 2021 or 2022 (partial days count as a full day) - note that you should get professional tax help if (Days in 2022) x1 + (Days in 2021) x1/3 + (Days in 2020) x1/6 >= 183, since you meet the Substantial Presence Test and may be a U.S. tax resident
• I, J, K: expected to be no, leave the second Yes/No for both J and K blank
• L: Leave blank
• M: Leave blank

Job done!

Congratulations! You finished completing the forms! The next step is to submit the forms to the IRS, briefly here are the four options:

• Book an appt by phone and show up in person to an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center in the USA, must have completed all docs and bring them to appt (no mailing required), you do not need a certified copy of your passport.
• Mail in your forms along with the original copy of your passport (the IRS will return it by mail)
• Mail in your forms along with a Certified True Copy of the passport, obtainable from Service Canada in-person or by mail. You will need to write a short letter to Service Canada telling them you need a certified copy of your passport e.g. "I am requesting a certified copy of my passport as the US Internal Revenue Service requires a certified true copy of a travel document. This document will be used as proof of identity in the application of a Tax Identification number needed to file a US Non-Resident Income Tax Return."
• Apply via a Certified Acceptance Agent ($$$)

Mailing instructions:

Mail signed W-7, signed 1040NR, Schedule 1, Schedule OI and proof of identity (e.g. original passport or certified true copy of passport) to:
Internal Revenue Service
ITIN Operation
P.O. Box 149342
Austin, TX 78714-9342
USA
Suggested method is via registered mail with Canada Post (~$15), for proof of delivery and tracking. If you are using a private courier (e.g. UPS, FedEx, etc.) use the mailing address on Pg 6 of the W-7 instructions.

IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center - In-Person Appointment

You can book an appointment by calling the IRS to book one at one of many IRS Taxpayer Asssistance Centers located throughout the USA and generally open Monday - Friday during normal business hours. Call 844-545-5640 to schedule an appointment. Some people have reported difficulty calling from a Canadian phone number, and have been able to obtain success using a VoiP to make the appointment. Others have also reported success from calling 267-941-1000 (not a toll-free number) and letting the phone agent transfer you to the proper line. If the lines are busy, you will need to keep trying until you get through - I would recommend calling with a couple different phones until you get through.
There are no locations in Canada and you can not go to a US embassy.
Applying at a TAC saves you from having to mail in your original passport or paying for a certified true copy of your passport.
You can book at most 2 months in advance, and during certain times of the year, appointments go quickly in large urban centres. Bring a duplicate copy of your forms so they can stamp them as received.
If you and your spouse will both be going, you will each need your own appointment.
Appointment length differs based on the agent that serves you. There are data points that go from 20 minutes per person to 1 hour. Some data points indicate that the clerk at the TAC may confuse your application with another reason of registering for an ITIN (e.g. meeting the substantial presence test). Remember that the clerk's role is to make sure your application is complete before submission, and they do not make any determination on your ITIN application. Kindly remind them that the reason you are filing is to file a tax return (the 1040NR) and that you need it submitted to the ITIN group for their consideration.

Payment

As noted previously, you will owe a small amount of tax to the IRS. Comprehensive instructions on how to pay your US taxes are online.
You can either pay with filing of your 1040NR, or after you receive your ITIN. The easiest way may be to obtain a $USD money order from a Canadian bank (TD, BMO and HSBC are all capable of this), and submitting it with your TAC appointment, or the mailing of your application.
If you have a U.S. bank account (not a $USD account at a Canadian bank) you can also pay by online banking, but only after you obtain an ITIN.
From my own research, if you have a BMO premium chequing account (account fees waived for a minimum balance of $6,000), you're eligible for a BMO $USD chequing account (no fees for withdrawals/deposits), and $USD money orders issued at no fee.

Aren't I Late on filing/paying my taxes for 2022?

If you are concerned about filing your 2022 after the April 18, 2023 filing deadline, it appears from Form 2210 that there is no penalties due if your income is less than $1,000. You will still owe interest on late payment, you can add $2 or $3 to the amount you owe to cover.

I lost my ITIN Letter!

If you lose your ITIN or your ITIN letter, you can get the ITIN by calling the IRS at +1 267-941-1000 and provide your name, mailing address, birthdate. You can then request a generic letter with your ITIN to help you with proof of your ITIN.

ITIN Expiry

Your ITIN will expire. I have not seen any evidence of them reassigning an ITIN to someone else yet, but the possibility exists.

End note

This post was written for free. I'd appreciate it if you would spend a moment to share your timeline (application, ITIN letter, return of proof of identity) and any additional tips you think should be noted! Appreciate the thought. :)

Questions? I do follow this thread. Please post in this thread, do not DM me.

Also, PM me your faxes.

[Narration by Home Studio Horror]
*
I spend all of my daylight hours scared and alone in this musty old cellar.
It’s woeful, and I bet it smelled this bad even before everything around here turned to crap. Great. My second sentence and I’ve already resorted to swearing. When I decided I’d start this diary (five minutes ago when I got a tiny sliver of signal) I thought it would be my poetic and deeply-moving goodbye to the world. Maybe I’d write about love and loss, or maybe the splendour of nature. Then, when all is done and dusted, I’d have left something to be remembered by. As well as my corpse, of course.
This was a bad idea.
*
Okay, I’m an idiot. There’s nothing else I can do down here. I’ve rooted through every cardboard box a hundred times, organised and reorganised my supplies, I’ve even built a fort. So, I’m back. Hello. Again. God, this diary is going badly.
But there’s just enough light coming through the boards I nailed over the cellar’s tiny window to type by. So I may as well type. Stops me staring up at the window just waiting for a shadow to pass by.
Maybe I'll just write and not hit Submit. Right, where to start? Well, my name is – actually, I think I’m going to refer to myself as ‘X’. That sounds mysterious. If you’re reading this and want to know my real name, I still carry my purse. My railcard is in there and, if you really want to know who I am, go find me and fish it out. I won’t bite...
So, my name is X. I live in a little English village in the middle of nowhere. Before all this happened, I had a mum, a dad, a sister and there was a boy I liked, his name was Jonah.
*
I couldn’t think of anything else to write so I waited until I came back from my rounds. That’s the stupid name I have for when I go outside at night scrounging for stuff. Drinks are the hardest. I only trust bottles or cans, or did, and I was running out of places to search for them. But I guess that doesn’t matter now.
My leg is doing alright actually; didn’t hold me up at all. I saw Jonah too. He’s looked better, I have to say. It’s strange because this is only the second time I’ve seen him since we came here. Maybe his ears were burning.
Anyway, I found some tinned pineapple in a creepy old caravan I hadn’t searched yet. Had to bust the door open with Old Trusty – which I thought might attract some unwanted attention – but it was fine. I’m actually eating the pineapple right now, tastes good. I also found a radio in there. I already have three down here, but none of them work. Not that the caravan radio works either, all you get is static. It’s just nice to collect something. You know, to have a hobby.
*
I can tell the sun is rising. I managed to sleep for a couple of hours, but I woke up after a bad dream. I know some people can remember their dreams, but I never do. I wake up and grasp at them, but I never manage a hold before they fade away. It’s like trying to pinch the corner of a wisp of smoke; the harder you try, the quicker it fades to nothing. I’m just left with a sensation, a kind of imprint which sums up the most intense part of the dream.
And a cold sweat. That’s new.
*
I’ve been through the box of photo albums I found at the back of the cellar again. I’ve looked through them a few times now, but I always notice something new.
There’s a photo of this little girl playing with a pretend guitar. I can tell it’s pretend because it doesn’t have strings, only brightly-coloured plastic dials. Kind of like My First Guitar Hero or something. The girl has dark hair and she looks a tiny bit like my sister did a million years ago. I don’t have a picture of my sister. I suppose I could go and get one from my old house, but it’s right in the middle of the village. I’m lucky I wasn’t torn to shreds the last time I went back. So, what I’ve done is put this girl’s photo in my back pocket as a substitute.
I guess I should probably write something about my real sister now. But I don’t think that’s a good idea just yet.
*
Daylight is starting to fade and I’m getting ready to go out on my rounds. I always take my satchel with me, packed with useful objects. I have Old Trusty (a crowbar) which sticks out of the top for easy access, a small toolbox, a pair of heavy-duty gloves (there’s a good story about how I got those, I might write that one down later) and a hammer. I carry a penknife I found down here in my pocket, my purse and phone, and a torch in my hand.
I don’t like to use the torch because its battery is running out and there’s always the chance it might attract them. I probably shouldn’t have used it last night when I got back. Maybe I’m starting to enjoy this writing malarkey? I need to be careful with luxuries.
*
Okay, that could have gone better.
Picture the scene: I’m using Old Trusty to try and lever a kitchen window open, when one of them just walks right through the garden hedge. Seriously, straight through it. It’s not the mightiest of hedges but, still, it just appeared like it was walking through one of those Japanese paper walls. My satchel was on the ground, but I legged it anyway. I’m not stupid. I know I can go back for it tomorrow. I felt strangely naked without it on the way back here though.
Like I said before, I need to be careful with the torch so I think I’ll try and get some sleep now.
*
I slept pretty well last night; no nightmares or cold sweats. Maybe a midnight chase was just what I needed to blow away the cobwebs.
I actually woke up wondering about you. If you’re reading this, who are you? If you’re like me, living through this village nightmare, how have you managed to go this long without being killed or whatever? Maybe you’re Army or some such. Maybe you’re just some kid who’s played so many videogames that surviving all of this was already second nature to you. Or maybe you’re like me; living on borrowed time and searching for a good place to die. Maybe Future Me was brave enough to tap Submit on my diary and you're currently reading this on your phone or computer.
Here’s an idea. Maybe you can carry on this diary from wherever I left it at. God, I really hope this isn’t my last entry, although I suppose any entry might be. If you do carry the diary forwards, and I'm a corpse, maybe it will become cursed. Spooky.
*
I’ve been preparing for my next excursion.
If I know I’m going somewhere I’ll likely run into an ugly, I like to take extra precautions. And I want my satchel back. It was a present from my dad, and I know it cost him a lot of money.
So, I’m taking a pair of shears from the shelf of old tools down here. That way, if I lose Old Trusty, I’ll have a backup weapon.
If you are local, I wonder how you like to kill them? Pretty morbid question I know, but everyone around here seems to have their preferred method. The last villager I saw alive carried a pair of mini cricket bats and seemed to have bludgeoning down to an art form. He never saw me though, I was watching from a grove of trees as he killed his way along the main road near the village.
That was before I decided to stay inside during the daylight hours. We can at least see a little bit at night; ambient light and everything. They can’t though. I’ve seen them, they bump into things. It’s pretty funny to be honest. If they hear a noise, they walk in the direction of the sound, never trying to avoid any object in their path. They either bash said object out of the way, or, like that hedge, blunder right through it. Obviously bigger things stop them dead (ha!) though. If that happens, they sort of shuffle backwards and then try again a few times. Eventually – and I’ve seen this too – they just give up and stand there, waiting for something else to attract their attention.
That’s not how it works in the daytime though.
*
I think it’s about an hour before the sun sets so it’s nearly time to head out. I’m going to change my bandage. One minute.
Okay, it didn’t look that bad really. The original scratch wasn’t too deep and now the wound seems to be doing that scabbing thing I remember from normal injuries. It just doesn’t smell very good. A bit like when you walk past a bin that needs emptying.
Anyway, I’ve applied more antiseptic and redressed it. Time to go.
*
That was fun. I’m glad I had those shears with me.
I got my satchel back you’ll be happy to know. And I got inside that house I’d been trying to break into as well. More through necessity than choice in the end, but I’m pleased I did. I found more batteries! That means I can justify writing at night a bit more. In fact, the people who used to live there (I think the husband owned the local garage) were pretty well kitted out. There were a lot of tins in their cupboards, and they’d even left a shotgun. It wasn’t loaded though.
Not that I need a shotgun. I didn’t tell you this before, but I have my grandpa’s old service revolver. He always told me and my sister that it was decommissioned, but my dad apparently knew otherwise. I keep it tucked into the back of my jeans at all times. It had three bullets, one of them is gone, so only two left.
I’ll only be needing the one of course.
*
Morning. I’m feeling pretty low today. I think concentrating on getting my satchel back took my mind off things, but now I feel pretty deflated.
Surely that’s understandable? The village I knew and loved has been replaced with this sodding hell. I miss my family, my friends, TV and hot dinners and Instagram. Before all of this I was a pretty positive person. Sure, I had a bit of trouble getting up in the morning, but, once I was up, that was it. I’d meet the day’s challenges head on, try to enjoy myself as much as I could. Not today though.
Maybe if I write about Jonah I’ll cheer up. Not Jonah as he is now of course, Jonah when he was all smooth-skinned, curly-haired and bright-eyed. Now he’s like the anti-Jonah or something. His face looks like it lost a fight with an angry lobster. No, wait, I’m supposed to be writing about Jonah version one here.
He’s one of those people that I can’t remember meeting. My family has always lived around here and so there are lots of people who have just always been, if you get me. I always thought we would drunkenly get it together at a party – that’s what I’d usually do if there was a boy I liked. Classy.
*
I’ve perked up a bit. Out of sheer frustration I went upstairs (naughty, I know) and looked out of a window. Sure, I saw an ugly, wandering aimlessly as they always do, but I saw that the trees are starting to turn too. That means it’s nearly autumn, and I love autumn!
My sister and I always used to go out and kick leaves at each other in the autumn. I don’t know if it was because of her low centre of gravity, but my sister was amazing at it. She could somehow whip up a blazing whirlwind of golden-yellow and fire-red, surrounding us both in a leaf storm that I couldn’t help but flail my arms madly at. Then we’d both fall backwards into the leaves laughing, me wondering how on earth what had happened was possible. She was that good.
God, I let her down in the end.
*
I think I’ll stay away from the house with the shotgun tonight. It usually takes a day or two for a group of uglies to disperse once they’re all riled up. I could use the rest of that tinned food I suppose, but I’ve got plenty to be getting on with for now.
Instead, I think I’ll swing by another farmhouse I was scoping out before I decided to turn nocturnal. I never met the people who used to live there, but I remember Mum telling me they liked their privacy. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me visiting now though.
Also, there’s a woodland between here and there and I might be able to find some leaves to kick about a bit. I think that would make me feel close to my sister again.
I’ll check back in later.
*
I’m still alive, but only just.
I made it through the woods just fine (only the odd leaf on the forest floor at the moment though, sadly), the trouble started at the farmhouse. I couldn’t get in – the doors and windows were barricaded – so I tried one of the outbuildings. Locked. It had a cat flap though.
My first instinct was to leave it, but then I wondered if there might be something useful inside. Lord knows what thinking about it now. I lifted the cat flap with one hand and shone the torch beam through with my other. That’s when an ugly dived at my pinkies. Luckily, it misjudged its leap and got a mouthful of plastic cat flap instead. As for me, I fell backwards onto my bum.
Next, the damn thing started bashing on the door from the inside. I don’t think it could ever have got out, but the noise attracted more uglies from out of nowhere. I only just managed to outmanoeuvre them and hightail it back into the woods.
That’s not the worst of it though. On the way back my leg started to hurt. A lot.
*
I woke up this morning and I’m walking with a limp. It’s funny, Dad had a limp when he and Mum died. He was nailing planks of wood across our windows and doors because there was no signal (as per bloody usual) and we thought that what was happening here was probably happening everywhere. It's only recently that I realised this was an isolated, local outbreak. Anyway, Dad dropped the hammer onto his toe, he always was useless at DIY. I think it was only a couple of hours after that when he and Mum were taken.
It was like a wave of death. No, not like, that’s exactly what it was. A hoard of uglies swept through the village, probably originating from the secret research facility in the woods we're not supposed to know about. My sister and I wouldn’t have had a prayer if Mum and Dad hadn’t charged down the first few that got into our house. They gave us just enough time to escape, to run away and leave them to die. My sister was screaming all the way and I had to drag her like she was four again.
She wouldn’t speak to me for a few days after that. I didn’t blame her, I hated myself too. But I would have hated myself even more if I hadn’t done what I did next. On my own, I snuck back into our house with the crowbar I found here. Then I dispatched my parents. I can’t bring myself to type it any other way. It wasn’t like in the movies, I didn’t pound their skulls into mush whilst sobbing, ‘Why?’ over and over again. I just found them, or what was left of them, forced the crowbar through each of their eye sockets, and came straight back here.
Then came the crying.
*
I haven’t told you about the heavy-duty gloves yet, have I?
After I got back from our old house, my sister started speaking to me again. A shared, day-long cry will do that for sisters. Once we felt up to it, we decided to explore the parts of the farmhouse we hadn’t searched yet. All the bedrooms were empty, only a few belongings flung about the place (I suspect the previous tenants left in a hurry). The problem came when we investigated the attic. Once we’d opened the ceiling panel in the upstairs hallway, once we’d pulled the compact staircase down, I went up. My sister stood at the top of the hatchway shining the torch beam over my shoulder. And that’s when it touched me. Terrified, I fell to my left, screaming as the thing came crashing down on top of me. I was yelling things like, ‘Shoot it!’ and, ‘Run!’ but my sister was just laughing her head off. I soon realised that my attacker was in fact a shop-window mannequin.
I think the people who previously lived here must have been arty (or into some seriously freaky stuff) because the mannequin was dressed in scarves, bandannas, ties, watches – loads of things. The rest of the attic was pretty empty but at least we got the mannequin’s gloves.
*
I’m not feeling good at the moment. I’ve got a sore throat and I’ve coughed up blood a couple of times. My leg pain is getting worse too.
I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I have enough tins left and one of them is a Full English In A Can. Sounds pretty disgusting, but intriguing at the same time. I’ve been saving it for near the end. A sort of consolation prize.
*
There are two mattresses down here. Obviously one is mine, and the other one was my sister’s. After she died, I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. I don’t have a photo of her, only Guitar Girl’s. Her bed is the only thing of hers I have left. And she didn’t even sleep in it that many times.
*
The tinned Full English was vile! You’ve got to laugh though, what else can you do?
*
I’m crying as I write this. Tears of sorrow, shame and regret.
It happened as we were searching a cottage just off of the main road. We’d used Old Trusty to get inside, and I’d rushed straight into the kitchen to find the food. We’d run out more than a day before and I was famished. My sister followed me into the kitchen, a wide grin on her pretty little face because I was sitting there with an open can of beans. Then one of them came at her from behind. I must have walked right past it on my stupid way to the cupboards. It bit into her neck and blood gushed over the tiles in a torrent. As she yelled out in agony, I leapt up and implanted the crowbar right into the thing’s skull. It crumpled to the floor, but the damage was done.
‘Don’t let me lose myself.’ That was the last thing my sister whispered to me before she passed out. Her wound was much more severe than mine is, and much closer to the brain. That seems to make it quicker. I took grandpa’s revolver from behind my back and blew her brains out.
I buried her in the back garden.
*
After my sister died I went kind of crazy. I took Old Trusty out across the fields and pulverised every ugly I could find. I don’t even remember it that well, it was just, find, kill, find, kill…
We’d only been going out in daylight before then but, in my anger, I carried on through the nights. That’s how I learned about their inability to evade in darkness. Eventually, though, one got me. I found three munching on a dead cow and ran straight at them. Took out the first two easily enough, but the third managed to scratch my leg with a bloody fingernail just before I clobbered it into oblivion. Once I realised its nail had broken the skin, it was like a switch had been flicked inside me. That’s it, I’m dead too. I lost my bloodlust and came back here.
*
If none of this had happened, I think my sister would have eventually gone into medicine. I was doing okay at College but she was top of her class at school. And she had a really kind nature too. She’d never squish any bugs that got trapped in our house; she’d get a glass, scoop the little critter up and seal it inside with a book. Then she’d take it outside and release it, even if it was a wasp.
*
I’ve decided that here’s not the place. I'll hit Submit and then I’m going to do it in those woods I wrote about; consider this diary as my Note. I’ll be able to find a nice spot to sit and look at the trees, some place that's calm and peaceful. I’m going to leave the picture of Guitar Girl in this cellar, she belongs in this house. The tree leaves will remind me of my sister more than any photo ever could anyway.
I guess all that’s left to say is thank you for listening.
I know it’s possible that no one will ever read this, but that’s not really the point is it?
Love,
X

My friends parents seem to always trigger him. They'll do something that'll frustrate him and then instead of just leaving it as he tells them to do they feed into it and the next thing you know its "his fault he's had an outburst". His mum seems to be the worst for it. I've never liked his parents, their very much I'm the parent so you do as I say kind of parents and often seem to straight up disrespect his boundaries(remind me of my parents). He also feels that he ows his parents, when we've been away on holidays recently he said he felt guilty for being away from them. Id like to add there are obviously good moments with his parents but its the little things that leave me thinking what the fuck. How do I express how I see what's happening. I'm scared that ill come across as narcissistic and that I'm trying to get him to cut ties with his parents. I do want the best for him, he's a genuine fucking angel and his family is causing him so much stress.

I got out of a toxic relationship around a year and a half ago and have been missing my ex a lot lately, I've also seen her with another guy which hurt for me to see.
I see her around as we live close to each other, we first together 7 years ago but I broke it off as I found out she was engaged to someone else. During that time she got divorced and I stupidly took her back a few years later, she did admit to being in multiple relationships and talking to other guys since then.
But I broke it off a year and a half ago We got close and had some nice moments but I kept noticing how open she is with other guys and how she'd claim that every other guy was interested in her, she kept pushing me for marriage and kept blaming me for moving too slow just because I didn't want to rush in to marriage.
Everytime we'd argue about it, she would always say that it's my fault that things are moving slow and that she doesn't like being with someone who can't commit.
She would always say how she wants someone who loves her more than she loves themselves, that's not normal right?? And She always used to say that she wanted me to open up to her and tell her how I feel and that I can talk to her about anything if I'm ever upset.
So I did when I mentioned that I didn't like how open she is with other guys, she said that she didn't want to be with anyone that's insecure just like her ex husband was (even though she'd already cheated on her ex husband with me which was unknown to me at the time, so he had a reason to feel insecure).
I don't get why she'd tell me to talk to her about anything then end up throwing it back in my face! I told her I'm not happy so we agreed to end it, I was confused at first cos she used to tell me that she misses me everyday and after that conversation she ended up blocking me off everything at the startwhich I thought was childish.
After we broke up she messaged me on Christmas day saying: 'I just wanted to message you to say that I hope you’re okay and that I feel as though I’m ready to stay as friends with you if that’s what you wanted.. I didn’t think I would ever be able to say that we could stay as friends but I feel like I’m in a good place and I know everything has worked out for the best and I would be really happy to have you as a friend But if you don’t want to hear from me that’s okay too just let me know x' I did reply to her saying that I don't think it's a good idea and I wished her well. She just replied with a simple 'that's fine no worries x'.
I'm trying to not think about her messaging me, but I feel like I was really getting in to the healing process and was really focused on other aspects of my life such as my career. I know I deserve better but I see her quite often as we live near one another and I can't help but still feel hurt and a part of me still misses her. We were quite sexually active together and i think thats whats making me miss her more.
I do feel like I have enough anger for the way she treated me to be able to ignore her. I do still feel angry over the situation, not sure if that's normal or not. I have my own auto detailing business which I run on the side of my career and on the weekend, I have a social media page for it and I have set it as a public profile because it is only for business content and I never put anything personal on it.
In the past when we'd argue, she'd always say that if we broke up it would be my loss.
I sometimes feel sad as I'm alone and haven't dated anyone since her, I often see her around and feel as though I miss her but I know those feelings are only from loneliness so I have every intention of staying away from her.
I've tried keeping myself distracted by focusing on my career and business, she has tried messaging me a couple months back by sending some charity chain messages although they could be her way of breadcrumbing? I always see her around as we live near one another, there were times where I used to try and get her attention because I missed her but now I just feel angry because I feel like I let her get away with a lot.
I saw her around 6 months ago and she saw me too and she messaged straight after saying 'hope your good', i don't understand why would she do that I keep seeing her around and I know deep down I know I shouldn't let her get away with treating me do badly, I miss her and sometimes feel stuck.
A couple of days ago I seen someone that looks like her with another guy but couldn't tell if it was actually her as it was from a distance, I don't know why I'm overthinking it but I think thats whats making me miss her more.
I miss her but I know it's only because I have a trauma bond with her, I've only began to realise how much I let her get away with and it's making me angry to think that she seems as though she can go and live a normal life after treating me like that.
She had randomly text me last month saying 'Hi! Do you want your white cap back? It's just that it's in my wardrobe and I never wear it, you might actually get some wear out of it!'.
She also messaged me 3 days after to say 'Happy Eid, hope you had a amazing day'. (For context, eid is a religious holiday that both me and her celebrate).
I found it odd that she'd message me twice in the same week but hasn't said anything after, we do usually see each other around but she's never messaged this often not even a birthday message or new years etc. Is this a form of manipulation?

So before I say this, I swear to god I can deal with 99% of the shit that arises with dogs, but my one issue I have is vomit. I have extremely bad emetophobia and gladly my live-in boyfriend doesn't, so in the case a dog throws up and he's around, he's willing to help me out and clean up. I know some people on this sub will say "this isn't the job for you if you can't deal with (blank)" but vomit is not really supposed to be a normal thing, so I don't really think it can be a fair disqualifier for me lol.
Anyway, I have an 11 night boarding and the owner just left the country. Today is the first day, and the dog has been having gastrointestinal issues. He hasn't been eating, has been a little gassy, had diarrhea this morning, and threw up a few minutes ago. Fortunately my boyfriend was around to help me out, but I'm feeling...a little panicked. It could just be nerves or something but he seemed really settled in today. My boyfriend mentioned the vomit was yellow, and upon googling, it sounds like it could be irritation in the stomach from lack of food that makes him nauseous, but I'm not sure that accounts for the diarrhea.
I will be back to being alone the majority of the day starting Monday (my boyfriend works full time and I'm on summer break) so I will be left to my own devices in dealing with this if it continues. I assume that if he keeps vomiting until then I'll need to take him to the vet, but hopefully that won't be the case.
I don't know if it's advice I need or just some reassurance, but I'm so stressed out. This dog is a total sweetie but I'm going to be super on edge for a while, both because I am worried I'm gonna be left with a pile of vomit I'm responsible for, and because I haven't had a sick dog in my care so far. It's extra stressful because the stay is long and the owner is out of the country, and I believe they're on a flight right now, so I can't get in touch with them.
Let me know if you have any advice or recommendations for dealing with this, or any reassurance lol. I feel so embarrassed being so stressed about this.

I specifically am talking about their 24/7 modes. Why is it always Shoot house and Shipment what about long range maps? I dont get it. Most maps are JUST barely long enough to do long shots and its not the easiest thing in the world. But if they had a 24/7 of a couple bigger maps I think it would help. Why don't they do this???

I feel like the universe owes me a future of success and glory, cause my life was incredibly hard, and I've never been truly happy. I've had to deal with physical problems( I was born with a problem with speaking, I eventually overcame it through the years), mental ones ( I have OCD and have had to go to therapy as a small child until I was 11, taking away my childhood), I've been though depression for a while and Im truly ugly so I've never had a girlfriend or anything. This is all so unfair, I deserve success to repair for this all

Hi everyone.
I am a professional photo-videomaker with 7-year experience and always trying to learn new techniques and work on myself. Insta: @emgarro. Being head of Emgarro Team I have photography and law background. We do based in Rome, Florence, Paris, Istanbul and Malta. Beside this we do travel all around. I did photography courses in US at MoMA, now I am teaching people photography skills. I took photos of celebrities like: Thomas Richards (actor), Gabe Kapler (baseball trainer), Ronnie Magro (Jersey Shore). My working principle is always being more creative and unique. I had photo exhibitions in Rome, Florence, Paris and Istanbul. I’ve took 9 international courses about photography. Besides this, I was awarded 1-st place in the local competition "Portrait Photography", which took place in 2018.
Message me and check insta for more services. #romephotographer #florencephotographer

Hi! My name’s Alec, I’m 26, and from the great state of Pennsylvania. I’m currently looking to make some new friends and see what happens on here.
A little bit about me: I’m a gamer. I own a gaming PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, & Xbox Series X. I play a good majority of everything from Fortnite, Doom, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, etc.
I’m a musician. I play drums and guitar. I happen to be in a band as well so be sure to ask all about it! I love all types of music. I mostly lean towards rock & metal (Slipknot, Metallica, Trivium, Glassjaw, etc.) but I do like some grunge & alternative (Radiohead, The Cure, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden). My musical tastes are all over the place so I’m sure we can find some common ground!
If you’d like to shoot a DM, please do! I’ll be looking forward to it 😌

My gf (22F) told me (24M) that when we get married she wont use any contraceptive pills because she says they are harmful and we will only use condoms forever and I didn’t agree on that and because of this we decided to break up sadly 💔 who do u think is the wrong side here? and are pills even harmful as she says?
Note: we have been together for approximately 7 years.
TL;DR: my gf refuses to take contraceptive pills because she believes they are harmful and she only wants to use condoms forever and I agreed, who do you think is wrong and what I do?

Don’t want anything in return. Just want to give items I have amassed and have little use for now
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